Li Jun laughed in astonishment, "Brother Teng, you've never taken an apprentice before. This must be your first." Old Wang, standing nearby, was equally surprised, "Apprentice?
What does that mean?" Li Jun quickly explained, "An apprentice is a disciple!" On the Duanmu Continent, the term 'apprentice' wasn't used. Instead, they were called 'disciples.' A master was referred to as a 'Teacher.' "Roar~ Roar~~" Li Jun lowered her head, looking at the ferocious beast youth.
The ferocious beast youth’s eyes held an inexplicable glimmer, and he let out a series of calls in return. Having been unable to communicate with humans for so long, he felt an intense fondness for this woman who understood the language of beasts.
He felt... this woman was the cutest and best human he had ever encountered!
"Master, with your strength, being accepted into your fold as your disciple is a blessing. This ferocious beast youth will certainly agree," Old Wang chuckled happily.
"That's for certain," Xiao Ping also expressed complete confidence in Teng Qingshan. Teng Qingshan lowered his gaze, looking at the ferocious beast youth, growing more fond of him the longer he looked.
This was truly a perfect disciple who could inherit his legacy and spread his internal martial arts to the future! To reach the realm of Grandmaster—where bones and tendons resonated in harmony—purely by learning from the wilderness and sensing the harmony of heaven and earth, without any human guidance.
A genius! "If he understood human speech from the start and someone had taught him internal energy cultivation, he probably wouldn't have reached the level of Grandmaster," Teng Qingshan mused inwardly.
"One cannot predict fortune or misfortune when it comes to understanding language." "Roar~~" Li Jun’s expression soured, and she let out a low growl repeatedly. But the ferocious beast youth remained silent.
"What's wrong?" Teng Qingshan sensed something amiss. "Brother Teng," Li Jun looked over helplessly, "this ferocious beast youth is simply stubborn.
Perhaps you fought him once before, and now he harbors hostility towards you. No matter what I say, he won't budge.
He's utterly obstinate, a true blockhead!" Teng Qingshan was taken aback by this. "I didn't use excessive force earlier," Teng Qingshan looked at the youth with exasperation.
The ferocious beast youth remained mute. "Since this youth doesn't understand human speech and has lived among wild beasts, his intelligence is likely comparable to a child's," Teng Qingshan speculated internally.
"His thought processes probably cannot be compared to those of an ordinary person." Teng Qingshan pondered continuously on how to make the youth comply. Low intelligence, yet brimming with primal ferocity.
Having spent years in the caged fighting pits, the youth's disposition was indeed difficult to break. "Brother Teng," Li Jun began helplessly, "this youth's temperament is much like that of a wild animal.
You wouldn't believe what he told me... it was like talking to a two or three-year-old.
And even more stubborn than a toddler; his mind seems completely rigid." "Let's keep moving. We can think of a way on the road," Teng Qingshan walked over and directly unchained the ferocious beast youth.
"Xiao Jun, tell him that if he tries to attack or escape, I will break his legs!" "Alright," Li Jun immediately relayed the message to the youth. "Roar roar~~" The ferocious beast youth chattered frantically to Li Jun.
Li Jun smiled toward Teng Qingshan, "Brother Teng, can you guess what the youth just told me?" "What did he say? Something about rather dying than submitting?
Or something similar?" Teng Qingshan couldn't fathom the youth's mindset. Li Jun couldn't help but laugh, "When I told him what you said, the youth told me...
he won't leave, he insists on staying with me!" "Staying with you?" Teng Qingshan seemed to grasp something. Having suffered greatly from the inability to communicate with humans, if he left Teng Qingshan and the others...
what awaited the ferocious beast youth would be capture by another group. Without human intellect, despite his immense strength, he could easily be trapped!
If he left Li Jun, his tragic fate would surely continue! Having suffered for over a decade, the youth no longer wished for that!
He must follow this human woman! The ferocious beast youth made up his mind.
* As evening approached, the sky was nearly dark. Teng Qingshan and his company had stopped their carriage beside a river along the official road; they planned to spend the night here!
"Brother Teng, it seems the Fang family from Danyang City won't be pursuing us," Li Jun remarked cheerfully. "Mhm, it's been a whole day.
We haven't traveled particularly fast. If they wanted to hunt us down, they would have found us already," Teng Qingshan glanced south and smiled, "The Fang family ruling Danyang City isn't foolish enough to make such a blunder." With that, Teng Qingshan shifted his gaze sideways.
**There, the ferocious beast youth, clad only in his deerskin loincloth, squatted on all fours like a lone wolf. "Stand up!" Teng Qingshan commanded sharply.
The youth looked over, and upon meeting Teng Qingshan's stern glare, he immediately understood the powerful human's meaning and stood rigidly upright. Li Jun couldn't help but laugh.
"Brother Teng, simply teaching him to walk upright is quite difficult," Li Jun commented. "Mhm, the moment I turn my back, this boy drops back down onto all fours," Teng Qingshan sighed in exasperation.
Although the youth hadn't formally accepted him as a master, Teng Qingshan had already begun forcefully instilling rules, such as walking upright and using chopsticks for meals! "Teaching a disciple like this is tough," Teng Qingshan sighed with a wry smile.
"Old Wang, take these clean clothes prepared for the boy," Teng Qingshan called out. "Yes, Master," Old Wang responded diligently.
"Next, I need to get him to clip those long nails, and then he needs a bath and new clothes!" Teng Qingshan admitted that even he found the task challenging, but if his lineage of internal martial arts were to be established, having his senior disciple refuse to wear clothes would be a massive embarrassment! Furthermore, Teng Qingshan genuinely wished for the ferocious beast youth to reintegrate into human society.
"Boy, come with me." Teng Qingshan walked over and reached out to grab him. "Hngh~~" The ferocious beast youth bared his teeth, showing a hint of fear.
"I told you not to resist." Teng Qingshan ignored all pleasantries, grasping the youth by the neck and lifting him up. Teng Qingshan knew...
his potential disciple possessed nearly a hundred thousand jin of brute strength, and such a body would have an extremely resilient neck. Lifting him this way was unlikely to cause injury.
The ferocious beast youth was thus suspended, his eyes occasionally flashing with wild aggression, but the memory of the man before him quickly suppressed any thought of resistance. ...
Deep into the night. Qingluan and the Gale Eagle had settled atop the carriage roof to rest, while Xiao Ping and Li Jun were resting inside.
The carriage was spacious enough to seat three or four people even near the doorway. Teng Qingshan sat cross-legged near the entrance.
"Hoo... hoo~~" A faint snore came from beside him.
Teng Qingshan turned his head to see the ferocious beast youth, now wearing a grey cotton coat and with his face scrubbed clean, curled up lying on the floor. "Still just a youth," Teng Qingshan watched him silently.
Dressed in clothes, the ferocious beast youth resembled an ordinary human boy, yet the way he was curled up made him look like a kitten! "Brother Teng," Li Jun emerged from the carriage doorway.
She also looked at the ferocious beast youth, a serene smile gracing her face. "Ah Shou is truly just a child, an immature one, a child who acts purely on instinct and wild nature.
No one has ever guided him!" Teng Qingshan nodded as well. Teng Qingshan vividly recalled the process of forcibly trimming his sharp nails and making him wear clothes.
"Reasoning with this stubborn boy is useless; we have to use force," Teng Qingshan stated. "I can help," Li Jun laughed.
"Don't always resort to fists." "Brother Teng, starting tomorrow, Xiao Ping and I will teach Ah Shou how to speak!" Li Jun announced. "Teach him to speak?" Teng Qingshan paused, then nodded slightly.
"Mhm, a good idea, but it will be a lot of trouble for you both." "It's nothing." Li Jun looked at Ah Shou as a mother would look at her child, "Actually, I feel he is quite pitiful, much more so than I am. No parents since childhood, living amongst beasts...
unable to even speak human language... With you and Xiao Ping teaching him, I believe Ah Shou will surely learn to speak." Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun’s current demeanor and smiled, "Xiao Jun, the way you look now, you resemble Ah Shou's mother." "Then who is Ah Shou's father?" Li Jun countered.
Teng Qingshan started, coughed twice, and turned his gaze to look in another direction. * Divine Axe Mountain holds a special significance on the Duanmu Continent!
The Divine Axe Celestial Deity, 'Da Yu,' was the one who unified language, standardized writing, and spread the methods of cultivation. The citizens of the Duanmu Continent held immense gratitude toward the Divine Axe Celestial Deity 'Da Yu.' Due to Da Yu's influence, the Duanmu Continent also observes twelve months in a year, and maintains an annual Sacrifice!
On the day of the annual Sacrifice, nearly every clan and family offers prayers to the Divine Axe Celestial Deity Da Yu! Southeast of Divine Axe Mountain lies the largest city on the entire Duanmu Continent—South Mountain City!
It is also known as 'Da Yu City' or 'Divine Axe City.' South Mountain City is arguably the most prosperous place in the whole Duanmu Continent. Even after the 'Thunder Blade Celestial Deity' Duanmu Yu unified the realm, he established his capital here in South Mountain City!
... Meanwhile, after traveling slowly for eight days since leaving Danyang City, Teng Qingshan and his company were now merely a hundred li away from South Mountain City.
As evening fell. Clip!
Clip! Clip!
The carriage moved forward. Teng Qingshan and the coachman, Old Wang, sat at the front.
Riding the beast ahead of them was a lean, long-haired youth in a grey cotton coat—the ferocious beast youth! After several days of instruction, the youth had at least adopted some semblance of human behavior.
"Ah Shou!" Xiao Ping called out through the carriage window. The ferocious beast youth immediately turned his head.
After spending days learning with Li Jun and Xiao Ping, the word 'Ah Shou' had become extremely familiar to him. "Ah Hou!" the youth managed to articulate with difficulty.
Li Jun, at the other window, immediately shook her head and let out a couple of soft growls to indicate the pronunciation was incorrect, before saying clearly, "A... Shou!" "A...
Hou!" The youth's tongue seemed stiff, and his pronunciation was consistently flawed. Teng Qingshan listened to Li Jun and Xiao Ping teaching the ferocious beast youth behind him and couldn't help but smile.
For the past few days, Li Jun and the others had been teaching him while they traveled... and the youth could now speak several words.
Even though his pronunciation was poor, progress had been made. "Old Wang, it's getting late; it seems we'll be camping in the wilderness tonight.
We won't reach South Mountain City until tomorrow," Teng Qingshan said with a smile. "Mhm, we should arrive by noon tomorrow," Old Wang replied, smiling.
"Hm?" Teng Qingshan suddenly looked ahead. In the distance, on the official road ahead, lay a vast, dark expanse composed entirely of countless assembled soldiers.